Adastra supported famous czech bank´s CRM data migration

The bank opted for a new CRM solution. Switching to a new system, however,
could not be successful if, at the onset, it lacked all the necessary data
stored in the original CRM. For a successful transfer to take place, all
required data must be extracted and uploaded into the correct place, on time,
and in such a way that all customer requirements can be fulfilled on the very
first day the new system is put into operation. To ensure a successful data
migration it was further necessary to resolve serious issues with data
quality.

1

PROBLEM WE HAD TO FACE

In principle, each CRM system deals with similar tasks. However, the
way it solves these tasks often differs greatly and individual systems may store
data in markedly different ways.

The decision to change the CRM system usually arises from an organization
needing modern options, support for its new processes, better links to other
organizations or systems such as new integrations with other systems. Of course,
data are required to support these new processes, yet many times the data are
stored in other systems and finding relationships between the data in other
systems and CRM data is a challenging task.

Populating data into the new CRM is much like detective work. You first need
to understand the motivation, the full purpose of the undertaking. This requires
research as you investigate the source systems and trace essential information
and data. After poring over all the facts, a detailed understanding of the data
emerges enabling you to piece together a proposed method to transform the data.
However, no successful data transformation will occur without the support of
good infrastructure, be it technical or organizational. A fully independent,
dedicated system which has only one task, to migrate data from original storage
into the new system, is needed.

When we say „migration system“ or „migration tool“ we do not mean
mere software, but an entire ecosystem which can effectively fulfill all tasks
required of it.

2

OUR SUGGESTED SOLUTION

Adastra migrated data from 22 systems into the new CRM from the
first go.

It was determined that data from 22 systems had to be first migrated into
the new CRM and, then, the most indispensable information had to be transferred
from the new CRM back to most of these systems. Without any impact on the client
service. In an extremely limited time frame. With zero risk of error from the
start. Launching a new CRM is unforgiving as there is no second chance to repeat
the migration. You need to be perfect.

A crucial aspect of a successful migration is learning not to strictly
adhere to the boundaries of the set task. The new CRM must conform to the
business environment and this requires trust between the bank and the research
team. Adastra learned from the bank and oversaw a solution which went beyond the
framework of simple data migration and this, in turn, was the key for the
success of the entire project.

Of course, the driving force of the success was based on technology, in
particular, a migration delivery tool built on the Oracle PL/SQL with
significant assistance from ETL Informatica. The migration tool ‚calculated‘
workflow using synthetic data derived from programmed algorithms to determine
what had to be done first, what should follow, when it could run multiple tasks
in parallel, and when it had to wait for a certain task to finish.
Optimally designed transformation algorithms were vital for adhering to the
schedule. However, organizing and supporting the tests with suitable tools was
of equal importance. Quality testing alone could ensure that the entire
migration would be carried out flawlessly from the onset.

3

WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THE PROJECT

The entire project could not have been successful without a thorough
understanding to the data including their importance, role, character, qualities
and how the data were used, which methods were employed, both before and after
switching to the new CRM. In the end, this has been of great benefit to the
project and has ultimately resulted in the involvement of the data migration
team in a number of other project activities, especially in performing tasks
related to the future integration of the new CRM into the
bank's environment.

Implementing a new CRM is a daunting task and projects of this size and
complexity are rarely without challenges. Despite the magnitude of this project,
the new CRM was implemented at the first go and without any notable negative
impact on banking operations other than an issue related to a fundamental change
of project objectives that took place during realization.

An expert team, assembled in advance, provided exceptional support to users
in the initial weeks following the launch, a transition period accompanied by
normal adjustments to change. We were pleased to learn that the support required
for the data migration itself was marginal, though, understandably, users had
some difficulties with the new interfaces, updated business processes and new
methodologies. However, the data in the new system was in order and caused no
strain on the organization.

60 million source entries were migrated into 50 target data entities.

A joint team from Adastra and the bank, consisting of approximately four
analysts, one programmer, two experts to ensure the necessary communication and
infrastructure, and supervised by two project managers, carried out a migration
of approximately sixty million source entries into fifty target data
entities.

180,000 instances of bad quality data were removed before the migration.

Dealing with data quality was a serious issue. The data migration team was
ultimately responsible for both the data transformation and data quality, hence,
the data migration ecosystem also included activities to remove poor quality
data that would prevent data migration. Prior to the migration, the team
identified and resolved 180,000 individual cases of poor quality data.

The bank needed to make planning, budgeting and forecasting processes more
effective and transparent. Adastra, together with an internal banking team,
created a successful solution thanks to the IBM Cognos TM1 planning tool and the
vast experience and project-proven methodologies of Adastra. The solution
significantly speeds up the planning…